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LANSING — When former Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame selection committee member Ronald "Ronn" Reed passed away in 2012, chairman Bob Every and the rest of the committee didn't immediately fill his position.

However, on Monday, Every announced the group has finally decided to fill the vacant chair and tapped longtime Lansing educator, coach and referee Mark Ditsworth.

"I am deeply honored to have been selected to the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame," said Ditsworth, who was inducted into the hall of fame in 2012, in a press release. "This is by far (one) of my top accomplishments.

"I would like to thank the committee for having me be part of this wonderful institution. I will take this position very seriously."

Ditsworth, who was all-state in football and baseball at Eastern in the late 1960s and early 1970s, was an educator in the Lansing School District for 40 years before retiring. After graduating as a Quaker, he went on to play football and baseball at the University of Tulsa.

Ditsworth was the head football coach of his alma mater from 1993-98 and became the only coach in school history to lead Eastern to the MHSAA playoffs in 1997. In addition, he was named the 1984 CAC baseball coach of the year and coached the Quakers' baseball team to one conference title and four Diamond Classic finals. Ditsworth was also an assistant on Grand Ledge's state championship football team in 2000.

The 63-year-old is also an accomplished official at the high school, collegiate and international levels. Ditsworth officiated two MHSAA state basketball championships and three baseball championships. In the NCAA, as an umpire, he officiated 13 NCAA regionals, nine Big Ten championships, nine super regionals and three College World Series. In 2007, in Taiwan, he officiated the Baseball World Cup and, in 2008, he officiated the World University Games in the Czech Republic.

Ditsworth is now working for the NCAA as a Division 1 regional baseball advisor. He evaluates umpires across the nation and is on the selection committee to select the 96 top umpires for postseason tournaments.

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.